


Option B

by lawlessearth



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Exes who can't stop sleeping with each other, F/F, Getting Back Together, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:27:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28621032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawlessearth/pseuds/lawlessearth
Summary: “Did we take a cab?” Christina asked, still apparently trying to piece the night together as Ruby had done earlier.“No, you drove.” Like a fucking maniac but what else was new.“See, I don’t remember that,” she said. “I was definitely drunker.”Christina and Ruby are exes who can't stop sleeping with each other.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 16
Kudos: 111





	Option B

**Author's Note:**

> What the summary said. 
> 
> I'm supposed to be updating my multi-chapter fic but I uh got distracted by the persistent thought: What if Ruby and Christina got together and then broke up? Since the show never gave us a relationship between them as themselves, it's hard to place this in canon so I went with a modern setting for this.
> 
> Enjoy!

The piercing headache came as soon as Ruby opened her eyes. Gingerly, she tried to sit up but found that she was anchored down by a soft weight across her stomach. Glancing down, she saw the smooth arm of the woman she came home with last night. She was asleep. Her face was pressed against the pillows, blonde hair cascading all over the bony shoulders peeking from under rumpled sheets. Ruby didn’t have to look too closely to know she had once again made the mistake of sleeping with Christina Braithwhite.

_Shit._

Ruby pinched the area of her nose between her eyes, trying to recall what happened. Her mind was sluggish and her memories of the previous night were a little hazy. There was the wedding ceremony, of course – Leti’s wide, starry-eyed smile as she walked down the aisle, and Tic at the altar, his face a perfect blend of bliss and trepidation. The guests’ collective _‘oohs’_ and ‘ _ahhs’_ when the reverend finally told the groom he may kiss the bride. Then, there was all that music and dancing at the reception.

Ruby remembered hitting the open bar, downing vodka mimosas, and then having her eyes arrested by the appearance of none other than her ex, Christina, walking towards her. She was a vision in a tux, black tie undone and dangling from her open collar. Her blonde hair was done up in a loose bun, her jacket draped instead of worn across her shoulders. Across the room, their gazes met, held and -

_God fucking dammit._

Ruby had sworn she would never sleep with her again. Last time (two weeks ago) was supposed to be the last. She and Christina had broken up - she couldn’t even remember exactly when but it involved a lot of bitter tears and swearing that they never wanted to see each other’s face ever. But, here they were in Christina’s bed in Christina’s apartment, naked as the day they were born - for the third time since their big break-up.

_This has got to stop._

Christina wasn’t even supposed to be at the wedding. Ruby specifically told Leti to uninvite her as her plus one because of the aforementioned breakup and Leti had agreed. So, Christina must have found a way to rope in Atticus to let her come.

* * *

_“I’m cousins with the groom,” Christina said when Ruby confronted her about it. Her smugness was irritating._

_“_ Distant _cousins,” Ruby corrected, “and several times removed. Hell, you’re not friends, you’re barely even family.”_

_Christina remained impervious. “I’m also paying for the catering.”_

_Ruby tossed back her drink. “What do you want, Christina?”_

_“Can we talk?” She asked._

_“No, you can fuck off.”_

* * *

Ruby got up from bed as slowly as she could, careful not to disturb her sleeping bedmate. It was a little difficult because Christina had a bad habit of tangling herself in the sheets with Ruby after sex. Moving a sexy limb out of the way meant Ruby’s having to flex and bend her own body made complicated by the fact that her muscles had fallen asleep from staying immobile for so long. She glanced at Christina again, thinking the movement might wake her up but the blonde didn’t stir. She continued to breathe deeply and steadily in sleep. Ruby next swung her legs to the side of the bed and pushed herself to her full height. She had little trouble finding the bathroom despite the darkness of the room. She’d slept over enough times to know where everything was.

Once inside, Ruby closed the door behind her and switched on the light. Her reflection in the mirror greeted her and what she saw made her swear under her breath. She was a mess, lips swollen, hair all mussed, her make-up smeared. She looked every inch a woman who had the best sex of her life with the worst person she could possibly have it with.

_Fuck_. Ruby’s headache returned in full force. _I need aspirin._ She rummaged inside the medicine cabinet and found the bottle of pills that she knew Christina kept just for the occasion. The prescription label said: Braithwhite, C., 5100 S Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago IL and contained the name of one Dr. Phyllis Branson, M.D., along with a mobile number. Ruby rolled her eyes. It was just like Christina to have an actual medical doctor on call for something as simple as a cure for hangover. She opened the cap and popped two pills into her mouth, washing them down with water from the tap. Then she debated whether or not to take a shower, finally settling for a half-bath to wash away the stink of alcohol and sex from her body.

When Ruby stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later, she found Christina sitting on the edge of the bed, shrugging on a black silk robe. Taken by surprise, Ruby stood there awkwardly, uncertainly. Usually, when she did a runner, Christina was still in dreamland and Ruby was out of her apartment before the latter even came to. But now she was up, things just got a little complicated.

Christina heard the door open and turned to look at Ruby with a frank, quizzical stare. “Ruby,” she said as though she, too, was surprised to find her still there.

Even in the dim light that seeped in through the blinds, Ruby was acutely aware of her near nakedness. She was wrapped only in Christina’s bath towel. The tiny cloth barely even covered the tops of her breasts and she had to hold it up to keep it from slipping and exposing herself more than she had to. She was already feeling too exposed, too raw, after last night. And her clothes were strewn about the room, her underwear nowhere in sight.

Christina finished tying the belt of her robe around her waist. As she reached for her pack of cigarettes and lighter on the dresser, her hair fell around her face, hiding her expression. “So, who was drunker last night, you or me?” She asked. Her voice still sounded husky from sleep.

“I figure me.”

“Could’ve sworn otherwise,” she muttered as she lit her cigarette. She crossed her legs, the movement causing the gap in her robe to shift, revealing long, shapely calves.

Ruby was already picking up her discarded dress and putting on her bra, which she found draped over a standing night lamp. She had given up her panties for lost and decided that she just had to go commando when she did her walk of shame to her own apartment.

_See, this is why you don’t sleep with your ex, Ruby. It’s humiliating._

“Did we take a cab?” Christina asked, still apparently trying to piece the night together as Ruby had done earlier.

“No, you drove.” Like a fucking maniac but what else was new.

“See, I don’t remember that,” she said. “I was definitely drunker.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes at her. “Now I know you’re not pretending you were too drunk to remember what happened.”

Christina curled her mouth. “I didn’t say that.”

Despite their fight (or maybe because of it), the attraction between them was still so strong. Last night, Christina couldn’t and wouldn’t take her eyes off Ruby, and Ruby simultaneously felt loose and wound tight around her.

* * *

_After their initial clash at the bar, Christina managed to convince Ruby to get on the dance floor with her. They didn’t so much as dance as sway together, the alcohol finally kicking in and affecting their balance. Ruby remembered catching a glimpse of Leti’s shocked face as she stared at them, mouthing ‘what are you doing?’ but before she could second-guess herself Christina brushed a hand around her waist and whispered, “You wanna get out of here?”_

_By the time they made it inside Christina’s apartment, they were falling on each other hungrily, their mouths coming together in reckless abandon._

_“Bed,” Ruby gasped, breaking the kiss. She clasped Christina’s shoulders and pushed insistently. She wasn’t so inebriated as to want being fucked against the door. They’d done it before, quick and dirty, but tonight she wasn’t in the mood for it._

_“Fuck,” Christina only said as Ruby pushed past her and made her way to the bedroom._

_When Christina caught up to her, Ruby found her with her top off, a trail of clothes behind her. She grabbed Ruby at the same time Ruby tugged her by the belt loop of her pants. They fell on the bed together, kissing wildly, arms wrapped around each other._

_“Stop talking,” Ruby said when she heard Christina repeatedly murmur a drunken ‘is this alright?’ all while working the zipper of Ruby’s dress and peeling the material off her body. Deft fingers dealt with the front clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts and giving Christina the perfect excuse to do as told. With her mouth fastened on one breast and a hand teasing the other, there was no room for words, or even thoughts._

_Ruby gave a low moan, eyes shuttering close. Her fingers grabbed fistfuls of blonde hair, luxuriating in their rich softness, gripping them from time to time as Christina licked the underside of her breast and drew her peak between her lips. Her hand palmed her other breast, squeezing and rubbing._

_Ruby’s body was thrumming. The wetness pooled between her legs. When Christina shifted on top of her, she could only groan. She cupped the small of her back, holding her like she was fragile. Christina grabbed her face and kissed her hard, tongue sliding against hers and teeth nipping her bottom lip. Ruby kissed her back, sliding warm hands over her bottom, squeezing her tight buns and reaching between them to tease her sex through the dampening cloth of her pants. At the touch, Christina only made a whimpering sound and spread her legs wider. Encouraged, Ruby hurriedly unfastened the top of hers pants, revealing black lace underwear. She heard her gasp when she gently scratched the sensitive skin of her lower stomach before dipping underneath her panties._

_“R-uby--,” Christina was almost slurring her words. She groaned loudly when Ruby’s fingers slid between her folds, hips rising then pressing harder against her hand. Her eyes found Ruby’s but they were unfocused, the irises reduced to thin rings of blue around her blown pupils. Her mouth hung open as she breathed in gasps._

_Ruby could feel her own heart pounding as Christina unconsciously rolled her hips. She massaged her sex with her hand, fingers stroking, dancing between her folds. Her wetness spread, making it easier for Ruby to tease and circle her clit. Each brush on the sensitive nub sent shivers along Christina’s spine._

_For what seemed like endless minutes, Christina clung to Ruby as they fucked. Their breathing was loud in the spacious room, their bodies giving off incredible heat. Ruby breathed in her scent, tongue licking at the bead of sweat that formed along her neck. The touch caused Christina to hiss, brows drawing together in a frown. Ruby could feel her walls seizing around her fingers and she nuzzled her cheek and hummed into her ear, urging her to let go._

_When Christina came, Ruby almost did as well. It was crashing the way her body melted around her. She savored the moment after, caressing her trembling body lazily. Then she cupped both sides of her face, kissed her long and hard before tugging her lower, lower still, and bringing her to where she wanted her._

* * *

“I think you enjoy it,” Christina told her.

“What?”

“Fucking me without consequences.”

Ruby did not dignify that with a comment.

Christina watched her from the bed and Ruby tried to ignore the familiar fluttering in her stomach. She wondered if she was always going to react this way around her, or if there would ever come a time when she would get over it, her, this – whatever _this_ was.

A while passed before Christina said in a faintly nostalgic tone, “I see that you’ve showered and dressed and all. Any minute now and you’ll be out of here.” She didn’t say _‘like always’_ but that was implied. After all, it was always Ruby who left first; it was always her who crept out of bed, dressed in the dark, and walked out the door, without a second glance.

Again, Ruby did not respond. Self-preservation, she’d called it. She rationalized that if both parties knew what they were getting into, no harm or foul would come to either one of them. After all, it was just sex. Maybe not as casual and simple as sex between strangers might be but, as long as they didn’t talk about anything important afterwards, as long as they didn’t tread on familiar grounds, and as long as they didn’t stay, feelings could be taken out of the equation.

Ruby slipped on her dress and reached around her back for the zipper. When she couldn’t get it all the way up, she dropped her arms and looked at the woman, who only hours before had peeled the same dress off her in her eagerness to get her naked. “A little help?” She asked mercilessly.

Instead of standing in compliance, Christina put both hands on the bed and leaned back, revealing more of her silken skin and a tantalizing view of her cleavage through the deep V of her robe. Unlike Ruby, it seemed she had no problem with exposing herself. “No, but you can do whatever the fuck you want,” she said. There was an edge to her voice.

“Fine, then I’ll take one of your jackets.” Suddenly angry with herself, and with her, Ruby walked over to the closet, opened it and started digging around for the oversized denim jacket that she knew Christina owned. She found it soon enough way in the back of the wardrobe and shrugged it on. Then, she started moving around the room, looking for her purse and anything else she might have carelessly dropped on the floor in the frenzy of last night.

“Can I tell you something though?” Christina was still sat on the bed, eyes tracking Ruby’s every movement.

Ruby crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. She didn’t speak but waited.

“I don’t make a habit of going to bed with my exes.”

Her words registered and Ruby said, “Don’t you?” She couldn’t possibly be serious. They’d done this maybe three times – four, if they counted the one in the car. Ruby spied her cellphone, battery dead, underneath the bed, near Christina’s feet, along with a tube of her lipstick and the keys to her apartment. She crouched down to pick it up.

“I don’t.” Her face did not change. But in the faint light of the early dawn, there was something oddly soft about the way she looked, and strangely vulnerable.

“So why did you?” Ruby stood up and gazed down at her.

“Because,” Christina said, shifting to stick her half-finished cigarette in the ashtray and rake her fingers through her hair, “I thought the fastest way to get over you was to fuck you out of my system.”

“And did it work?”

Christina looked straight at her as though challenging her to refute it. “No.”

The rawness of the admission pierced Ruby. Because she did not know how to respond to that, she bowed her head and occupied herself with putting her cellphone, lipstick and keys in her purse. She felt guilty, pleased, terrified and everything in between. Christina’s words, the implication of them, scared her. Perhaps even more now that she knew what it was like being with her. She didn’t want to be that vulnerable again. Neither did she want the power to inflict that much hurt on someone again. Because that was a fact: they both hurt each other. Even when they didn’t want to. Even when they tried hard not to.

It was petrifying to even consider going through that again.

Her first instinct was to walk out. Actually, she wanted to run out of there as fast as she could. But she was glued to the spot, her feet stuck, anchored by the blue eyes of the woman who refused to look away.

“What now?” She asked when the silence stretched.

Christina shook her head. “I don’t know.” She reached for another cigarette and proceeded to light it. She took exactly two long drags before she gazed at Ruby and wordlessly offered her one from the pack.

Somewhere in the back of Ruby’s mind, she wondered if she was making another mistake, if she was willingly leaving herself exposed to get hurt again and if so, how thoroughly was Christina going to break her heart this time? She met her gaze – held it, as gray tendrils of smoke drifted about her. She thought, how thoroughly was she going to break hers?

“Don’t pull away from me, Ruby,” Christina said. It was a plea.

With a sigh, Ruby sagged on the bed. She sat shoulder to shoulder with her. “I want and I don’t want to,” she admitted.

“Truth?” Christina said after a beat.

Ruby glanced at her profile. “What?”

“When I woke up this morning, I thought you’d be long gone.”

Ruby ignored the cigarette Christina held up, instead extending a hand and took the one from her mouth. She placed it between her lips and inhaled. “I thought the same,” she said, adding, “You sleep like a dead man when you’re hungover.”

The beginnings of a grin curved her lips. “I was actually having an erotic dream about you.”

“Uhuh, I bet you were, drooling on the pillow and all.”

Christina stilled in the middle of lighting another cigarette. “I do not drool.”

Ruby looked at her. Her face was so close. There was no reason to kiss her, no reason not to. Ruby chose option B.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that as much I did writing it. Let me know what you think. 
> 
> p.s. So do ya'll think the show's gonna be renewed for a second season?


End file.
